Just Label It New Roundup 12-14

In an attempt to help farmers across the country to stop using the world’s most used herbicide before 2020, the French government has released its glyphosate ‘phase-out’ online platform. Recent analysis shows there are 11 companies that control everything you buy in the marketplace. Growing research shows the strengthening link between glyphosate and cancer. There’s a new effort to end glyphosate use in a Maryland county park. Fronted by Councilmember Tom Hucker and other Montgomery County, Maryland lawmaker are questioning the safety of using the weed killer. Four-time NBA champion, vegan, and wellness entrepreneur John Salley has acquired an equity stake in plant-based pesticide company, PureCrop1. An evolving concept called “sustainable intensification” aims to bridge the gap between conventional agriculture and organic farming. U.S. certified organic farm operation expansion has outpaced organic acreage according to research conducted by Mercaris in its 2018 Organic and Non-GMO Acreage Report. A new report by the Center for Environmental Health found high levels of the toxic weed killer glyphosate in over 70 percent of the oat-based breakfast foods commonly served in K-12 schools across the country. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide, is applied on farms that grow corn, soybeans, oat, and hundreds of other crops. From there, it can make its way into our food, especially popular breakfast cereals and nutrition bars.

The rapid rise of variation in everyday goods and services, from which cereal we eat in the morning to which toothpaste we brush our teeth with at night, gives the perception of unlimited choice. For example, if you’re deciding which bottled water to buy, the possibilities range from budget brands, like Deer Park or Ozarka, to higher-end options, like Perrier or S. Pellegrino. But this appearance of choice is actually manufactured. All of the aforementioned brands are owned by one company: Nestle.

There’s a new effort to end its use in county parks. Councilmember Tom Hucker (D-District 5) says even though there is still debate about the safety of Roundup in the scientific community, there is enough evidence to make it a clear choice.“We’re talking about whether you’d rather have weeds or you’d rather have cancer,” says Hucker, who recently wrote a letter to Montgomery Parks asking the agency to stop using the chemical.

Dutchess County, a Hudson Valley region just north of New York City, boasts more than 675 farms over 10,000 acres of arable land. There are orchards, vineyards, fruit farms and flower farms that supply goods to community-supported agriculture, farmers’ markets and local businesses. And then, there’s the Dutchess.

A new report by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) found high levels of the toxic weed killer glyphosate in over 70 percent of the oat-based breakfast foods commonly served in K-12 schools across the country. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide, is applied on farms that grow corn, soybeans, oats, and hundreds of other crops. From there, it can make its way into our food, especially popular breakfast cereals and nutrition bars.